Thursday 15 January 2015

Be the Change for Animals: Adopt Don't Shop

Please adopt a pet from a rescue shelter. Don't buy.

As a rescue cat I like to help other shelter cats find the forever homes they all deserve. I know how terrifying it is to find yourself orphaned and homeless. I would rather not remember that awful time. I was a small kitten and can't remember much of it, but it has definitely left its mark on me.

One way it's left its mark is that I don't like being left alone in the house for long. Well, I don't like being left alone at all really. I follow my mum everywhere.

But this post isn't about me. This post is for Be the Change for Animals and I want to share some cats that are wanting forever homes. I can't feature them all here, so I will tell you of a great place to find your forever cat if you live in the UK. It's a website called CatChat.org, which is a fantastic web based Cat Rescue resource and registered charity, whose mission statement is "to facilitate the rehoming of unowned cats and kittens nationally through cat rescue groups, and to promote kindness to animals"


Rescue shelters across the UK and Ireland are listed on the CatChat.org database and you can view photos and details of all the cats available at your local shelter. So, if you are looking to rehome a cat in the UK, do check out this site!

At the bottom of this post there is also a link to my mum's Pinterest Pet Rescue board where she pins photos of shelter animals from around the world (mostly the US) who are really desperate and unfortunately are on Death Row. It's heartbreaking that some of them won't make it out of those shelters alive. Why? It's not fair, is it? They deserve a life too. Why is it right for humans to decide whether an animal should live or die?

You see, that's why it is so important to adopt your pet from a shelter.  Doing so means that you are saving not one life, but two, because adopting an animal means you are making room for another animal in need at the rescue centre.

Follow Marie Symeou's board Pet Adoption & Rescue on Pinterest.

ROYALTIES FROM MY RESCUE STORY WILL BE DONATED TO HELP OTHER SHELTER ANIMALS. Click HERE FOR WHERE TO BUY


20 comments:

Cokie the Cat: Hollywood Insider said...

Hi Athena and Marie, It's so kind of you to post all those sweet homeless pets to your Pinterest page. I'm following you there and everywhere now.

zoepheedogs said...

Hi Athena!! Great post! All three of our kitties are from the shelter! Both dogs, too. :D

Unknown said...

Amelia gets VERY stressed about being alone for too long as well Athena. It is very lucky she decided to be adopted by me because I don't work the usual 9-5, five days a week. I also wish all shelter cats could be as lucky as you and Amelia in finding the very perfect forever home. Keep on sharing and some day all the right huma eyes will find the right shelter cats before it is too late!

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Thank you for sharing these precious kitties. I heard somewhere that all shelters in the UK are no-kill. Is that true? If so, I am very ashamed of our US shelters :(

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

Thank you Cokie. We are just doing our bit in the universe to help the animals x

Lara Elizabeth said...

I can't imagine why anyone would buy a cat...the shelters are filled with them and so often have greatly reduced or free adoption fees. I have had my shelter kitty for 17 years and she is absolutely perfect.

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

Yes, I think it's true.

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

My first cat daughter, Suzy, was brought from a pet shop in the 80s. It was different times then, and we knew no better. Plus, my younger brother bought her after our last cat disappeared. She was such a lovely little cat and we had 13 wonderful years with her.

Beth said...

The only cat I've ever had wandered lived in our woods for about 2 weeks. We made the decision to neuter him and get his vaccines. Before his appointment, he became deathly ill and crawled under the porch. A trip to the emergency vet was in order and he had to be quarantined for 6 months. He suffered a bit of brain damage from his unknown illness and has lived in the house ever since. If we ever get another cat, it will be a rescue cat or stray that we take in.

Kari Neumeyer said...

Just like it astounds me that any pet stores still sell puppies, I can't believe there are people still breeding cats. A family member at Thanksgiving was bragging about his two exotic cats -- a jungle bobcat and a bengal -- how he met the breeder, etc. As a teenager, he had snakes and lizards that I took off his hands when he went to boarding school. Guess he hasn't gotten over his fascination with exotics. It's a shame.

Anonymous said...

Pawsum posty Athena. We wuz boff weally yung when mommy wescued us, but even we member bein' skered and we hate dat udders hav to know dat feelin'. We wish and purray fur luvvin' furever homes fur all da poor anipals out there.

Luv ya'

Dezi and Lexi

The Swiss Cats said...

Great post ! Purrs

Summer said...

Sparkle and I are the only kitties my human hasn't rescued or gotten from a rescue. We're the exceptions, and certainly not the rule.

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

We couldn't agree more. Cody was adopted, but....Dakota was gotten at a responsible breeder who couldn't show him. At that time, we weren't bloggers and knew nothing about purebreed rescues!

pilch92 said...

Very nice post, I agree. And I love your book, I hope you sell lots of them.

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

Poor little thing. Well done for taking him in and caring for him.

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

That's very sad. We don't understand it either. Not when there are so many poor animals that need rehoming.

Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty said...

Aww... we pray and hope for them too.

meowmeowmans said...

Great post, Athena and Mum. It's so true ... there are SO many loving and deserving animals in shelters, just waiting for their forever families to find them. Moosey, Gracie and Zoe are all rescues; all of our other kitty angels were, too.

Hugs to you both!

KimT said...

What a sweetheart you are, Athena! Good on you for promoting rescue pets - they're the best, too! And all your efforts at doing whatever you can to help those pets find homes is impressive. Keep up your awesome work!

Here's to the day when there are no more homeless...

Thank you for being - and blogging - the change for animals,
KimT
BtC4Animals.com